


Cannon Fodder

by Dragonmad



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Not Beta Read, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-16
Updated: 2009-08-16
Packaged: 2017-10-26 10:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/281958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonmad/pseuds/Dragonmad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Let’s just imagine, for a moment, that things go slightly differently just before Jack is marooned a second time. And let’s – while we’re already imagining – pretend that Will’s blood isn’t needed to free Barbossa and Co from the Curse. Or let’s pretend that they don’t wanna be freed from the Curse. Now we’ve got an interesting situation. (ETA: Let's also presume that EAR existed back then and that Jack knew how to do it. LOL!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cannon Fodder

 

~*~*~*~*~

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore she'd go free!"

"Don't dare impugn me honor, boy. I agreed she'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where."

The crew cackles, roughly dragging Will away before gagging him and tying his hands tightly behind his back. He watches helplessly as Elizabeth, face deathly pale, fights like a thing possessed as the men take her below deck to the brig.

Barbossa turns back to Will with an eerie grin. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?" The remaining crew laughs as they elbow each other, knowing and expectant looks being tossed around. Will feels a sudden flutter of dread.

The pirate walks over to him slowly, a calculated look on his face. He grabs Will roughly by the hair and drags his head back so that Will is forced to glare, impotent with rage, into the pirate’s smirking face.

"Now, Mister Turner, ye've gone and done a rather stupid thing. And tha' means there's a price to be paid."

Will feels the blood drain from his face.

Barbossa's grin grows larger and rather predatory, but to Will's relief he shakes his head. "Now as fine a notion tha' is, it won't be doin' us any good as we are. No, we'll be findin' our entertainment in a different way."

To Will's consternation, the man turns away, his gaze falling on Jack, who's restrained by arm and pistol. Jack's eyes are moving, flicking from place to place, but at the sudden shift in attention, his gaze locks onto Barbossa.

"Jack, Jaaaack." He tsks, slinging an arm companionably over the other man's shoulders. "Did ya not notice? That be the same little island we made ye Governor of on our last little trip."

Jack swallows hard before answering and Will is more confused than ever. "I did notice."

Barbossa's grin is frightening in it's mischievousness. "It seems to me, Jaaack," he drawls, " that ye missed the show las' time."  Jack's watching him, his eyes suspicious. "Indeed," Barbossa continues, "it seems like we got the order o' event's wrong last time ‘round."

Jack's face goes pale and he darts a desperate glance at Will, but Will is unsure what he means by it and frowns back at him in consternation. Barbossa is watching, his large grin crooked and full of glee.

Leaning down, he positions his face near Jack's ear and whispers theatrically loud for all to hear.

"Bootstrap's, bootstraps."

"NO!"

Barbossa's crew is cackling madly, and Will feels his eyes grow round in fear as he desperately tries to free himself from grasping hands. He doesn’t know what Barbossa means by that, but if Jack’s expression is anything to go by, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to find out. Bucking and thrashing, he kicks and hits, but he is outnumbered and bound besides. They restrain his feet and tie his bootstrap's to a cannon.

Will is panting harshly through the gag and he glances up at the towering figure of Barbossa above him. The man leers at him before moving aside. Barbossa looks over at Jack, his foot resting lazily on the cannon's brace, and Will swallows thickly, the anxiety stuck in his throat.

Barbossa shakes his head melodramatically, the feather on his hat swaying ridiculously. "Ye just never learn, do ye Jack?"

And with a mighty shove, he pushes the cannon off the deck.

Will has a brief glimpse of Jack's horrified expression before the water suddenly closes over his head.

~*~*~*~

  
He sinks with alarming speed, the weight of the iron cannon dragging him down and Will can already feel his chest burning with the need to breathe.

He fight’s desperately with the rope restraining his hands, but is unable to free them. He tries to pull his feet from his boots, hoping that there might be some give in the wet leather, or that the binds might snap, or that fate will take pity on him and decide to give him a chance at freedom. So far it’s hopeless, but Will is nothing if not determined, and survival is a powerful instinct.

With a sudden thud, the cannon hits the sandy bottom, rolling a little before stopping. Will continues to fight his bindings, gazing upwards at his target. The water’s surface undulates with peculiar beauty far above, the sun’s light filtering through the waves to stop several feet over his head. He can make out the ship’s shadowy hull, slowly moving away, and feels panic well up in his chest at the sight.

The weight of the water is crushing down on him and his lungs are burning. Darkness is starting to flit behind his eyes in little starbursts, and Will fight’s all the harder. The knots are well tied, however, and he’s slowly loosing hope.

It’s rather ironic, he thinks absently, that he should escape drowning on the _Interceptor_ only to end up drowning anyway.

His last thoughts are of his father sharing this experience, this feeling of helplessness, of fear.

He understands now, why the man never came back and he feels regret at the anger he used to feel on the subject. His father was, no doubt, as unwilling as he himself. It finally makes sense why no one had ever heard of a merchant sailor named William Turner all those long lonely years, and he can finally accept the truth of Jack’s words.

Poor Jack. He hopes that he’ll escape somehow and get Elizabeth out of there.

Will’s final sight is the play of light on the water far above, and then there’s no more room for thought as everything goes dark.

~*~*~*~

Jack watches in horror as the cannon goes overboard, dragging a struggling Will with it. It hits the water with a mighty splash before being swallowed by the greedy sea.

Without thinking Jack scrabbles madly to break free from the hands restraining him, mindless of the risk to himself. He bites and claws frantically, applying fists elbows and feet.

He finally manages to break free, racing over to the rail and all he can think is ‘No, no, no. Not again, not this time!’ He clambers up, the harsh laughter and jeers of Barbossa’s crew echo in his ears as he dives into the innocent turquoise water.

 Kicking strongly, he heads deeper, glancing about frantically until finally he sees a dark shape waving softly in the current.  A small school of fish swim past surreally, darting out of the way as he approaches.

Swimming as fast as he can, he makes his way over to Will. The boy's eyes are closed and he's unresponsive.

Jack works furiously at the knots that tie the boy to the cruel iron, his fingers clumsy with anxiety. He manages to get one knot undone finally, and moves onto the next. His lungs are starting to ache and his eyes sting from the salty water.

The rope loosens under his hands, and with relief Jack wraps one arm about the boy’s waist, cradling him close. He pushes off the sea floor for the surface.

Every second of ascension feels like an eternity, every foot a mile, until finally he breaks the surface.

Jack gasps madly for air, and the sun's brilliance off the water dazzles him for a few precious seconds before he remembers.

It's not over yet.

Striking for the distant shore he calls Will's name, his voice tight with fear. He feels for a pulse and finds one, but the boy isn't breathing. Fumbling with the limp mass in his arms he manages to position himself so that he can breathe into the boy’s mouth, whilst still making his slow progress towards the sandy shore.

"C'mon Will, you can't give up on me now. Come on!"

After what seems like an eternity of swimming, Jack's feet strike bottom and a renewed urgency sweeps him. Hauling the boy ashore, he drops to his knees. 

Pinching Will's nose shut, he breathes into his mouth, lips sealed tight over the boy’s own. Gasping for breath himself, he tilts his head so his ear is over the boy’s mouth, trying to feel the exhalation of their shared breath over the pounding of his heart. But Will doesn't breathe on his own.

He continues, refusing to give up, and feels his eyes sting with the remnants of salt water, his beaded hair slapping wetly across his face.

"Dammit, William! Breathe, you bloody fool!"

And with a gurgling gasp, Will begins to cough and heave.

Jack's limbs feel suddenly weak as he helps the boy expel what seems like half the sea, before rolling him back onto his back. Will's eyes are still closed and he gasps greedy gulps of air like a landed fish before his lashes flutter.

He opens his eyes and Jack's is the first face he sees.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> ~*~*~*~
> 
> A/N: So I had this idea since on of my very first viewings of CotBP. I recently re-watched it and this idea resurfaced and demanded to be written.
> 
> I think it all stemmed from the idea of: Will always near drowning + Will always get's knocked/falls unconscious and then wakes up to see Elizabeth. What if he saw Jack instead?
> 
> Requisite Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a nurse or any kind of health care official so advice found within should not be taken seriously. It is based very loosely on a requisite life-saving course we did in school. For those interested, the process loosely described (and with a few missing steps) is EAR. EAR is the process of restarting someone's breathing. CPR is the one you see where they do the compressions on someone's chest when their heart AND breathing has stopped. It IS possible to do EAR whilst swimming, though it's NOT easy.
> 
>  
> 
> Comments and Constructive feedback greatly appreciated!
> 
> Originally posted on Livejournal at Jackwill.


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